New American National Standard provides guidance on safely implementing a stormwater harvesting system for direct end-use applications.

Chicago, Illinois (August 20, 2015) — The American Society of Plumbing Engineers (ASPE) is pleased to announce that ARCSA/ASPE/ANSI 78-2015: Stormwater Harvesting System Design for Direct End-Use Applications was approved as an American National Standard by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) on August 3, 2015.

Jointly developed by ASPE and the American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association (ARCSA), ARCSA/ASPE/ANSI 78-2015 provides guidance on how to install and maintain a safe alternative to utility-provided water and to optimize stormwater utilization to reduce dependence on municipal potable water systems. Use of the standard will ensure that consumers are not at risk from poor design, installation, maintenance, or illegal work and that the stormwater catchment system will assist in maintaining and enhancing the quality of the environment while assisting compliance with the intent of relevant regulations and government officials.

“This document completes the efforts of our group to develop detailed and specific standards for onsite and offsite, where applicable, stormwater harvesting for beneficial purposes,” says Neal Shapiro, CPSWQ, CSM, ENV SP, Chair of the 78 Working Group. “Whether one’s area is in a drought or not, whether it rains year-round or for only a few days, this low-impact development strategy of green infrastructure is a sustainable approach with numerous quantifiable benefits to the property owner, municipality, and the environment. It can make a positive difference.”

ARCSA/ASPE/ANSI 78-2015 went through an extensive development process using ASPE’s ANSI-accredited standards development procedures to incorporate input from all facets of the building design and related industries. The Working Group, headed by Shapiro, who is Supervisor of the Watershed Section for the City of Santa Monica (California) Office of Sustainability and the Environment, spent countless hours fine-tuning the standard based on public comments to ensure that the standard meets current industry and government regulations.

“It was a wonderful experience and honor to work with my professional colleagues on the Working Group, who offered wise counseling and guidance to reach our goal,” Shapiro says. “It was a team effort of the most rewarding kind. The caliber of my colleagues was on the highest order. I thank them for allowing me to oversee this wonderful experience and bring to fruition this much-needed standard.”

“ARCSA/ASPE/ANSI 78 is the result of an outstanding job by our collaborative industry partners as well as individuals who were willing to come together in a unified effort to continue advancing the abilities of our industry to the betterment of water reuse while maintaining and protecting our life-sustaining water resources,” says William “Billy” Smith, FASPE, ASPE’s Executive Director/CEO. “I congratulate them on a great job by all involved.”

ARCSA/ASPE/ANSI 78-2015 is the second collaborative standards development project between ASPE and ARCSA. This latest standard is intended to continue where the first standard, ARCSA/ASPE/ANSI 63-2013: Rainwater Catchment Systems, ended in terms of collection surface. This standard will be available for purchase in the ARCSA online store soon!

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ASPE is the only professional organization devoted to the training and certification of plumbing engineers and designers. ASPE and its 6,000 worldwide members are dedicated to protecting the health, welfare, and safety of the public through the dissemination of technical data and information to expand the base of knowledge among plumbing engineers, designers, contractors, code officials, inspectors, and manufacturers. For more information, visit ASPE.org.

ARCSA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that was founded to promote rainwater catchment systems in the United States. Its membership consists of professionals working in city, state, and federal governments, academia, manufacturers and suppliers of rainwater harvesting equipment, consultants, and other interested individuals. For more information, visit ARCSA.org.